“Orang Yang Arif Itu Berani, Bagaimana Ia Tidak Berani, Kerana Cintanya Akan Kebenaran Telah Menyebabkan Diri Tidak Takut Mati” - Ibnu Sina.

This book was written by late Roderic H. Davison who was then a Professor at George Washington University. Mr. Davison was a renowned scholar in Ottoman history and holds the position as the President of both Middle East Studies Association and the Turkish Studies Association at the university.

In this book, the author tried to study the reform of the Ottoman Empire or known as the Tanzimat in Turkish which literally means reorganization that started in 1839 and ended with the establishment of the First Constitutional in 1876. The Tanzimat reform refers to the various attempts to modernize the Ottoman Empire by adopting Western ideas and practices into the administration, social, political, economic and others of the Ottoman Empire.

The writer try to discuss the reform attempts that was carried out during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II and Sultan Abdul Mejid and the Western educated grand vezir like Ali Pasha, Fuad Pasha, Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, and Midhat Pasha. He also discussed the influence of this Tanzimat to the establishment of modern Turkey by Mustafa Kemal Attaturk. This book was well-documented and the author has used numerous and extensive written historical sources ranging from primary sources that were written in Turkish and French, and other secondary sources. The author has put a large effort to collect the relevant materials and assessed it accordingly. This make this books a precious material for historians and students of Ottoman history.

The Tanzimat movement was a controversial issue to be discussed in one way or another. However, the author succeeded to documented the events chronologically and in some ways, guide the readers to understand the political condition of this period to make an assessment of how this movement happen and what led this important event in Ottoman history.
This book helps the readers to understand this major historical event on Ottoman history. Especially to English-speaking readers who do not have any access to Turkish and other foreign language historical materials.

In Chapter I, Introduction: Decline and Reform to 1856, the author elucidated the background of the Ottoman Empire that leds to the Tanzimat reform. The author deals with the decision by Sultan Abdul Mejid to announce the Hatt-i Humayun, an imperial edict on the organizational reform of the Ottoman Empire.

According to the author, this attempt was a timely decision as a solution for the internal problems within the Ottoman administration and to curb the pressure from the Europeans power. The Tanzimat or reorganization including the adoption and adaptation of some Western ideas and institutions in several fields, included administration, military, economic, social, and political. According to the author, the decay of the old administrative of the Ottoman Empire was inadequate to face the internal pressures and had been the one of the primary reasons for Ottoman weakness. During the past decades, the Ottoman Empire was very patient in controlling and maintaining its stability. However the Tanzimat attempt was quite a rapid one. The uncritical and over-zealous adoption of Western ideas laid the basis of the ultimate secularization of governmental administration and social upheaval. Tanzimat reform by Sultan Abdul Mejid was a stepping stone of secularism-cult that was crystallized during the time of Mustafa Kemal Attaturk.

The author perceived this reform as step to revitalize the empire and preserve it in a world ordered by European power and civilization. This reform according to the author was not only about the justice and equality to the minorities and non-Muslims, but also reform in military, economic, social, intellectual, legal, and political. The author believed that this reform was not intended to “throw dust in the eyes of Europe”, but revitalize the Empire back.

It is worthy to mention the influence of the idea of Enlightenment and French Revolution led to the establishment of the Tanzimat reform. These reforms had been introduced not only to save the Empire but to satisfy and placate the Great Powers, who used the ill-treatment of non-Muslim minorities as a pre-text to further their own aims.

In Chapter II, the author deals with the measures of the Tanzimat reforms. It included the abolition of tax farming, the abolition of bribery, strict observance of annual budgets, the establishment of banks, the employment of European capital and skills for economic improvement, the codification of penal code, commercial law, reform of the prison system, and the establishment of mixed courts for Muslim and non-Muslims.The author also explains the challenges faced by the Tanzimat movement from the ulema, and the Janissaries.

In Chapter VI, the author discussed the formation of the young Turks. He elucidated the influence of Mazzini’s Young Italy on the Young Turks. These Young Turks were also influenced by the Jacobins of the French Revolution. Regarding the relationship between the Mazzini’s Young Italy and the Young Turks, there is another source that can support the author’s argument. Nesta Webster, in his work, Secret Societies and Subversive Movement (1928, p.284) writes that: “The Young Turk movement began in Masonic Lodges of Thessaloniki under the direct supervision of the Grand Lodge of Italy, which later shared in the success of Mustapha Kemal.”

In concluding remark of this chapter, the author stressed that there is a danger of over estimating the impact of the Young Turk on the course of events in the Ottoman Empire.

In the last chapter, the author deals with the Constitution of 1876. The aims of the constitution were the welfare of all Ottoman peoples, who should enjoy the blessings of liberty, justice, and equality, and safeguarding the government from absolutist monarchy, and put the government under the power of the State. The author argued that the entire constitution was Western in inspiration. One way or another, this is true. It is in essence was based on the concept of the Enlightenment and French Revolution. The author stated that the Tanzimat reform was a stepping stone for Mustafa Kemal Attaturk attempt to turn Ottoman Empire to a modern Turkey. The Tanzimat then was a means of individual liberties. On the importance of people, public opinion, and other elements that related to Western political system as opposed to monarchical sovereignty.

Through this book, it seems that the author viewed the Tanzimat movement as a step for the betterment of the Empire. However, in one hand, this movement opened the Empire to foreign infiltration. In the proceeding period, we can see that the Empire was still in the state of deterioration. When Sultan Abdul Hamid became the Caliph, the Empire was already on the edge of collapse. The Empire’s economy was increasingly being controlled by the great powers, especially France and England, under the terms of the capitulations which led to economic control and manipulation from these two great powers during that time.

Turkey then is just another ‘victim’ of the implementation of Hegelian theory in practice of creating false conflict to create a new synthesis. The synthesis was the abolishment of the Caliphate. In one way or another, creating conflict is not only a tactic in winning in battles and wars, but also in controlling other people. Reform, or islah or Tanzimat in Turkish language is not wrong in essence, but it relies upon on who is responsible in this action and on what motive and purpose.

Saya dalam proses membaca buku-buku ini dalam rangka untuk memahami Realiti di sebalik apa yang berlaku sekarang. Sudah semestinya, saya juga; bahkan lebih daripada itu saya perlu membaca al-Qur’an untuk memahami Realiti sekarang kerana Allah telah berfirman:

“Dan ingatlah) akan hari (ketika) Kami bangkitkan pada tiap-tiap umat seorang saksi atas mereka dari mereka sendiri dan Kami datangkan kamu (Muhammad) menjadi saksi atas seluruh umat manusia. Dan Kami turunkan kepadamu Al-Kitab (Al-Quran) untuk menjelaskan segala sesuatu dan petunjuk serta rahmat dan khabar gembira bagi orang-orang yang berserah diri (Muslimin).” (Al-Nahl; 16:89)

Dan selain itu oleh kerana Prof. Mat Demon sering menggelarkan saya serangga, parasit, lebih teruk daripada haiwan ternakan; dan saya merasakan diri saya seorang hipokrit, maka saya juga telah membeli dua buku ini iaitu: Al-amthal Dalam al-Qur’an: Golongan Kafir dan Ahli Kitab dan juga buku: Al-amthal Dalam al-Qur’an: Golongan Munafik.

Selain itu, pembacaan keenam-enam buku ini merupakan persediaan bagi saya untuk memahami golongan Virtuous Elite yang terlibat dalam bidang perbankan.

Pada mulanya saya agak keberatan untuk mewar-warkan bahawa saya dalam proses membaca buku-buku ini kerana saya rasa saya riya’ untuk menunjukkan bahawa saya seorang ‘ulat buku’, ‘seorang yang serius dalam bidang intelektual’, ‘berkaliber’, ‘berkarisma’ dan sebagainya, tetapi Prof. Mat Demon telah memberikan buah fikiran dan lontaran idea yang cukup bernas dan menganjakkan paradigma saya ke arah pemikiran yang lebih tuntas, justeru perkongsian ilmu di kalangan masyarakat tidak menjadi buntu dan kaku yang seterusnya bakal membawa kepada kemunduran dan kekakuan dalam mencerna ilmu dari sudut perspektif yang berbeza. Give me five Prof., idea dan ayat Prof. memang power, patutlah Prof. dapat PhD. In Decep.

Ya, sebelum ini saya ada menulis sebuah lontaran idea yang bertajuk Membuat Perubahan Melalui Perlakuan Sendiri - Create Change Through Your Own Conduct di mana saya telah melontarkan kata-kata keramat(?): “Berdakwah tidak semestinya anda menyampaikan sesuatu, tetapi anda boleh mengajak manusia untuk memikirkan sesuatu”. Ketika saya membaca bahagian Pendahuluan daripada buku Al-amthal Dalam al-Qur’an: Golongan Munafik, penulis telah membawa sebuah hadith yang bermaksud:

“Al-Qur’an diturunkan dalam lima bentuk iaitu halal, haram, muhkam, mutashabihah, dan perumpamaan (Amthal). Maka beramallah dengan yang halal, jauhilah yang haram, ikutilah yang muhkam, berimanlah dengan mutashabihah, dan ambillah pengajaran daripada perumpamaan“. (Riwayat al-Baihaqi).

Dan ayat al-Qur’an yang berbunyi:

“Sesungguhnya Allah tiada segan membuat perumpamaan berupa nyamuk atau yang lebih rendah dari itu. Adapun orang-orang yang beriman, maka mereka yakin bahwa perumpamaan itu benar dari Tuhan mereka, tetapi mereka yang kafir mengatakan: “Apakah maksud Allah menjadikan ini untuk perumpamaan?.” Dengan perumpamaan itu banyak orang yang disesatkan Allah, dan dengan perumpamaan itu (pula) banyak orang yang diberi-Nya petunjuk. Dan tidak ada yang disesatkan Allah kecuali orang-orang yang fasik”. (Al-Baqarah; 2: 26).

Menurut penulis, perumpamaan-perumpamaan ini (al-amthal) dapat menarik jiwa dan fikiran ke arah memikirkan hakikat kebenaran itu.

Alhamdulillah kerana kali ini Allah telah membukakan saya peluang untuk mula membaca buku ini. Sebelum ini saya telah terjumpa buku ini di perpustakaan tapi tidak berpeluang untuk membacanya. Apabila saya membaca buku ini, ia bukan sahaja memberi saya maklumat tentang ajaran Nabi Isa a.s, tetapi ia juga membuka mata saya tentang ketinggian ilmu al-Marhum Ismail Raji al-Faruqi dalam bidang perbandingan agama terutamanya dalam isu ajaran Nabi Isa a.s.

Saya belum sempat membaca buku ini secara keseluruhan, tetapi sudah ada beberapa tajuk yang saya baca dan menarik perhatian saya. Saya bukan ingin mengulas buku ini secara lanjut cuma mahu menyampaikan beberapa perkara yang disentuh oleh penulis.

Di dalam bab ‘Legalism of the Pharisees’, penulis menyentuh tentang perilaku golongan Pharisees yang menggunakan ajaran Torah hanya sekadar untuk menonjolkan keistimewaan golongan Bani Israel. Kedua, sikap mereka yang hanya mengambil maksud literal ajaran Torah dan memanipulasi hukum-hukumnya untuk membuat deduksi hukum-hukum baru tanpa mengambil kira mesej sebenar yang ingin disampaikan disebalik hukum-hukum tersebut. Ini termasuklah menggunakan kaedah ‘akrobatik’ dan ‘gimnastik’ untuk memanipulasi hukum-hukum Torah untuk kegunaan-kegunaan ’semasa’ dengan mengabaikan nilai sebenar ajaran Torah. Mereka mengabaikan nilai etika sebenar yang ingin disampaikan dan hanya menggunakan hukum-hukum Torah untuk kepentingan mereka. Golongan ini menukarkan ajaran-ajaran Torah kepada ajaran-ajaran yang ‘dry’ atau dangkal dan seterusnya menyesatkan golongan awam.

Bab II, di bawah tajuk Jesus’ indictment of legalism merupakan kesinambungan kepada tajuk di atas. Antara tesis ajaran Nabi Isa a.s. menurut penulis adalah radical self-transformation. Self di sini merujuk kepada the inner-being.

“For its concern is the self, the inner being which only the individual can reach in moments of ethical self-consciousness. Whereas Jewish Law (as the rabbis and Pharisees had found out), struggled to cover an ever-widening range of affairs by systematic but ever more strained and artificial means, Jesus ‘law’ restricted itself to the individual’s inner self. The self, he rightly discerned, is the main battleground of all higher, properly ethical values.”

Terdapat lagi kesinambungan daripada perkara ini di dalam tajuk Rejection of family ties:

“The transformed person means to do God’s will in every situation, not to satisfy the provisions of the Law. It is not that law in itself an evil; it need not be. But one should seek an escape from its determination of rights and wrongs in order to be free for the higher task of loving God and realizing His Will. Salvation lies beyond where Law can reach: ‘Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:20).

Jelas di sini apabila Isa a.s. membawa ajaran agar mencintai Tuhan, Nabi Isa a.s ingin membuang segala berhala-berhala yang berada di dalam hati-hati kaumnya. Nabi Isa a.s. menganjurkan agar ibadat dijalankan secara ikhlas dan tulus, bukan untuk menunjuk-nunjuk, kerana itu termasuk dalam amalan menduakan Tuhan. Kerana itu Nabi Isa a.s. menyuruh mereka yang berpuasa agar membasuh muka, dan meminyakkan rambut, agar hanya Allah sahaja yang tahu bahawa mereka berpuasa. Insya Allah, saya akan menyentuh Bab seterusnya ‘Jesus and Islamic Mysticism’.

Written by Mogamat Abrahams

About Imran Nazar Hosein

He was born in the Caribbean island of Trinidad in 1942 from parents whose ancestors had migrated as indentured labourer from India. He is a graduate of the Aleemiyah Institute in Karachi and has studied at sevaral instutions of higher learning including the University of Karachi,the University of the West Indies, Al Azhar University and the Graduate Institute of International Relations in Switzerland

He worked for several years as a Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago but gave up his job in 1985 to devote his life to the mission of Islam.

He lived in New York for ten years during which time he served as the Director of Islamic Studies for the Joint Committee of Muslim Organizations of Greater New York. He lectured on Islam in several American and Canadian universities, colleges, churches, synagogues, prisons, community halls, etc. He also participated in many inter-faith dialogues with Christian and Jewish scholars while representing Islam in USA. He was the Imam, for sometime, at Masjid Dar al-Qur’an in Long Island, New York. He also led the weekly Juma’ah prayers and delivered the sermon at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan once a month for ten years continuously.

He is a former Principal of the Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies in Karachi, Pakistan, Director of Research of the World Muslim Congress in Karachi, Pakistan, Director of the Islamic Institute for Education and Research in Miami, Florida, and Director of D’awah for Tanzeem-e-Islami of North America.

He has traveled continuously and extensively around the world on Islamic lecture-tours since graduating from the Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies in 1971 at age 29. And he has also written more than a dozen books on Islam that have invariably been received with public respect. Indeed, ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’an - An Islamic View of the Destiny of Jerusalem’ has become a best seller and has been translated and published in several languages.

Prof. Dr. Malik Badri, Dean of the International Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, wrote the Foreword to that book and this is what he had to say:

Finally, I am amazed by Imran’s style of writing. Though Jerusalem in the Qur’an, is a meticulously written thesis combining religious and historical documents with recent political events and penetrating interpretations from the Qur’an and Hadith, it runs like a story. Once you begin reading it, it is hard to stop. This is the general quality of a novel. The person would read it once and throw the book away - but not that of a serious thought-provoking dissertation like the book that Brother Shaikh Imran published. It is a reference that one needs to keep and reread whenever the subject is to be researched. I believe that this eloquence of the Shaikh must be the result of a natural gift that has interacted with his indefatigable work as a preacher and da’iyah and the Divine Blessings for his sincerity.” [’Jerusalem in the Qur’an’, Masjid Dar al-Qur’an, Long Island, New York. 2002. p. xvi]

Prof. Dr. Abul Fadl Mohsin Ebrahim, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Durban in South Africa, has this to say about the book:

‘Jerusalem in the Qur’an’ makes its debut at a crucial time when the morale of the Muslims … is at its lowest. The blatant incessant Israeli incursions in the Holy Land go unabated, and Muslims are echoing the very words that their fellow brethren called out unto their Lord when they were being persecuted at the hands of the kuffar of Makkah: “When will the help of Allah come?” Shaikh Imran’s insight into the events that are unfolding in the world today is a source of inspiration for Muslims for he convincingly argues from his scholarly interpretations of the Divine Writ (i.e., the Holy Qur’an) and the Ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) that the help of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’alah) is at hand, that the Holy Land will be liberated, and that Islam will re-emerge as the `Ruling State’ in the world. The reader will be enthralled by the author’s grasp on world politics. ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’an’ comes as a ray of sunshine for Muslims and is an eye-opener for the so-called ‘People of the Book‘. [’Jerusalem in the Qur’an’, Masjid Dar al-Qur’an, Long Island, New York. 2002. back cover]

Imran’s first book, entitled ‘Islam and Buddhism in the Modern World‘ was written when he was just 29 and still remains the only book on the subject by a Muslim scholar. That book won high praise from such eminent scholars as Vice Chancellor of University of Karachi and renowned historian, Dr. Ishtiaq Husain Quraishi, eminent Pakistani jurist and philosopher, A. K. Brohi, and eminent Muslim sociologist, Dr. Basharat Ali.
This is what A. K. Brohi had to say concerning ‘Islam and Buddhism in the Modern World’:

What struck me most while reading Imran’s magnificent book was the lucidity of, and clarity in, the treatment and almost awe-inspiring simplicity of style with which the argument has been presented by the author at first to expound and then to critically appraise what, after all, is a highly complex philosophical conception of religion by which a considerable bulk of humanity of today claims to regulate its life. In hundred and odd pages the author has presented to us a comparative estimate of the two great world religions like Buddhism and Islam, and, what is vastly more important, he has attempted a critical analysis of Buddhism regarded both as an ethics and as a metaphysic.By and large, the principal points made in this book tend to show an amazing and original mind at work. For that reason this book is likely to be ranked as one of the most significant contributions that have been made to the literature of comparative religion . . .” [‘Islam and Buddhism in the Modern World‘. World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi. 1972. Back cover]

While referring to Imran Hosein as a “scholar of rare philosophical erudition, originality and creative vigour”, A. K. Brohi went on to predict about him as follows: “I have no doubt that our young author is likely, if he only continues to maintain the tempo of his scholarly pursuits, to turn, in the days that lie ahead, to be a scholar of whom the world of Islam will have reason to be proud.” [’Islam and Buddhism in the Modern World’. World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi. 1972. Inside front cover]

Maulana Dr. Fazlur Rahman Ansari, an outstanding scholar of Islam of the modern age, wrote the Foreword to that book and this is what he had to say:

It gives me great pleasure to introduce Imran Hosein’s research monograph on ‘Islam and Buddhism in the Modern World’ which forms his first attempt in the field of authorship and which can safely be said to be the first book on this topic ever written by an Islamic scholar.

The author, who is a dear pupil of mine, he has inherited the illustrious traditions of modern scholarship in Philosophy and Religion represented by Dr. Syed Zafar-ul-Hassan M.A., LL.B., Dr. Phil. (Erl.), D. Phil. (Oxon.) and Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal M.A., Ph.D., D.Litt.D., Bar-at-Law, and of missionary endeavor represented by His Eminence Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddiqui al-Qaderi (of blessed memory), and I am proud of him. Though young in years, he is already on the road to ripeness in wisdom, and I am sure that his continued labor as a researcher will bring to him greater and greater glory in the cause of Truth.

Already, the present book is a very promising achievement. His treatment of the subject demonstrates clear-headedness, objectivity and logical acumen of a high order. And his approach, in keeping with the spirit of Islam, is sympathetic towards Buddha and Buddhism- in sharp contrast to the malicious and vindictive approach so often demonstrated by Christian and Arya Samaj scholars in their writings on Islam.
I pray to God to bless this book with the choicest success. Amen! [’Islam and Buddhism in the Modern World’. World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi. 1972. p. vi]

There is no evidence that during his thirty-four years of humble service to the cause of Islam since his graduation from the Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies in 1971 with the ‘Dr. Ansari Gold Medal for High Merit’ have Imran Hosein’s lectures, classes and preaching ever misled anyone into committing an act of terrorism. Whether this Islamic scholar, who is the proud author of ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’an’, is a rightly-guided or misguided Islamic scholar, is a matter that would be determined by those Muslims who sincerely follow the guidance in the Qur’an and in the example of the blessed Prophet. It cannot be determined by non-Muslims nor by those who violate the Divine command in the Qur’an (al-Maida, 5:51) prohibiting Muslim friendship and alliance with the Christian-Jewish alliance that now rules the world.

Saya baru melawat website Shaykh Imran Nazar Hosein. Bolehlah melawat websitenya dan muat turun buku terbarunya ‘An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World’ secara percuma. Saya baru memuat turunnya dan cuma sempat membacanya sepintas lalu. Apa yang ingin saya kongsi di sini ialah bahagian alu-aluan dan kesimpulan buku ini. Sebelum ini saya telah menulis dalam catatan saya yang bertajuk Pendidikan: Bagaimana Ia Mengubah Anda, Sihir, The All Seing Eye, Mata Hati tentang kepentingan menajamkan mata hati untuk memahami keadaan yang genting di zaman akhir ini. Saya bawakan petikan sebahagian alu-aluan dan kesimpulan buku ini:

He received his spiritual training from his mentor Maulānā Muhammad ‘Abdul ‘Aleem Siddiqui, an Islamic scholar, Sūfi Shaikh, and roving missionary of Islām. Most important of all, he received the Sūfi epistemology from both Iqbāl and Maulānā Siddiqui and delivered it to his students. The Sūfi epistemology recognized that when Truth is embraced (i.e., Islām is accepted) and is lived with sincerity and devotion to Allah Most High, it eventually enters the heart (i.e., Islām grows into Imān). In the Hadīth al-Qudsi it is reported that Allah Most High declared: “My heavens and My earth are too small to contain Me, but the heart of My faithful servant can contain Me.” This Hadīth vividly describes the implications of the entry of Truth into the heart. When Truth enters the heart, then a divine light (nūrullah) also eventually enters, and that light permits the believer’s powers of observation and internal intuitive spiritual insight to penetrate beyond the ‘external’ appearances of things to reach their ‘internal’ reality.

At this stage of the growth of Truth in the heart the believer now sees with two eyes – the ‘external’ and the ‘internal’ (Dajjāl, the False Messiah, sees with only one eye – the ‘external’). The believer who pursues a ‘Jihād fillah’ (i.e., a struggle ‘in’ Allah) is blessed with growth from Imān to the stage of Ihsān. This is also known as Tasawwuf, but it is better recognized as al-Ihsān. It is only with inner light in the discerning heart of a true
believer that the continuously unfolding Signs of Allah (Ayātullah) can be recognized, and only thus can the world today be read and correctly understood. Those who perceive the reality of the world today know that we live in the age of Fitan, i.e., the Last Age or the age of al-Qiyāmah (which would first culminate with the end of history and the triumph of Islam, and then, subsequently, with the end of the world and its transformation into a new world).

This book was also written with the specific objective of inviting a response from those rivals of Islam in the modern age claiming to possess truth. The book also invites a response from the multiplicity of sects that now inhabit the house of Islam – sects that are obsessed with waging war on those who pursue the authentic Islamic spiritual quest (i.e. al-Ihsān or Tasawwuf). That spiritual quest is pursued in order to acquire Nūr (i.e. light). It is only with Nūr which comes from Allah Most High that one can see and understand the strange modern world (that otherwise cannot be seen or understood), and only those who can explain the reality of the world today can validate their claim to truth. This book written from an Islamic perspective, lays claim to correctly explaining the reality of the strange world today, in which events are fast unfolding that are all linked to a grande finale in the Holy Land. In explaining those unfolding events in the way that it does, this book provides evidence that validates Islam’s claim to truth.

Isi-isi yang akan saya bentangkan di bawah ini berdasarkan pembacaan saya melalui buku Al-Ghazzaliyy: A Study in Islamic Epistemology karangan Dr. Mustafa Abu-Sway, terbitan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP). Dr. Mustafa merupakan Profesor Madya di Universiti al-Quds, Jerusalem.

Terdapat dakwaan daripada sesetengah pihak yang mendakwa Imam al-Ghazzali telah ‘bertaubat’ daripada menjadi seorang sufi di akhir hayatnya. Mereka mengatakan bahawa Imam al-Ghazzali telah bertaubat daripada kekurangan ilmunya dalam bidang hadith dan meninggalkan bidang tasawwuf yang menjadi pegangan hidupnya dalam memperoleh ilmu yang pasti yang dicari-carinya sejak zaman remaja.

Dakwaan pertama mereka tidaklah tepat apabila kita meneliti kitab-kitab karangan Imam al-Ghazzali di akhir hayatnya. Memang benar Imam al-Ghazzali ada menyebut di dalam perenggan akhir kitabnya yang bertajuk Qanun al-Ta’wil bahawa ilmunya dalam ilmu hadith adalah sedikit. Menurut al-Subkiyy di dalam kitabnya Tabaqat al-Shafi’iyyah al-Kubra, di akhir hayatnya, Imam al-Ghazzali mula belajar kata-kata Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. melalui Sahih Bukhari dan Sahih Muslim. Menurut Abu al-Qasim Ibn ‘Asakir, Imam al-Ghazzali mempelajari Sahih Bukhari di tangan Abu Sahl Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Hafsiyy. Juga, al-Sam;aniyy melaporkan bahawa Imam al-Ghazzali mempelajari Sahih Bukhari dan Sahih Muslim di tangan Abu al-Fityan ‘Umar Ibn Abu al-Hasan al-Rawasiyy al-Tusiyy. ‘Abd al-Ghafir Ibn Isma’il al-Khatib a-lFarisiyy melaporkan bahawa imam al-Ghazzali mempelajari Sunan Abu Dawud al-Sijistaniyy di tangan Abu al-Fath al-Hakimiyy al-Tusiyy.

Dakwaan mereka yang menyatakan Imam al-Ghazali ‘bertaubat’ daripada menjadi Sufi di akhir hayatnya adalah tidak benar.

Dr. Mustafa Abu-Sway menulis:

It is apparent, then, that al-Durrah al-Fakhirah, Iljam al-’Awam ‘an ‘Ilm al-Kalam and Minhaj al-’Abidin, written during the last stage of al-Ghazzaliyy’s life, contain clear manifestations of his continue acceptance of Sufism as the path for true knowledge.

In al-Durrah al-Fakhirah, he held that the Sufis, whom he describes as ‘Arifin (Gnostics) are the only people who upon death could proceed through the seven Heavens to reach Allah. In Iljam al-’Awam he employed the concept of “common people” to divide every other kind of scholar from the Sufis. He ranked the Sufis higher and he described them as scholars of the hereafter. Finally, in Minhaj al’Abidin, he defended Sufi schools and lodges. In addition, he described the knowledge of the Sufi in terms of divine light which is typical of “unveiling” (kashf).

All of these Sufi themes, which were also using Sufi terminology, leave no room for any doubt or hesitation that Al-Ghazzaliyy’s epistemology was Sufi in its essence. It should be noted that this is not a defence of Sufism against the Salafiyyah movement which tried to present Al-Ghazzaliyy in his final days as someone who abandoned Sufism. What I am tring to say that they need a better argument for their position.

Jadi, dengan mengatakan Imam al-Ghazzali telah ‘bertaubat’ daripada menjadi seorang Sufi berdasarkan kesungguhan Imam al-Ghazzali mempelajari Sahih Bukhari dan Sahih Muslim pada akhir hayatnya adalah tidak tepat.

Imam al-Ghazzali merupakan seorang tokoh Islam yang banyak memberi sumbangan dalam memakmurkan masyarakat Islam. Kitabnya Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din, ditulis untuk mengembalikan masyarakat Islam agar mengetahui apakah yang perlu diperlakukan orang orang Islam untuk memperoleh ilmu yang pasti, iaitu melalui disiplin dan membersihkan hati daripada sifat mazmumah. Dalam Bab Ilmu Imam al-Ghazzali menegur sikap umat Islam di zamannya yang terlalu menyibukkan diri dengan permasalahan fiqh dan perdebatan hingga melupakan ilmu akhirat. Beliau jelas merupakan seoarang pengikut mazhab Syafi’i tetapi beliau menolak sifat ta’assub mazhab yang berlaku di zamannya. Di dalam Bab Ilmu Ihya’, Imam al-Ghazzali menerangkan keperibadian yang tinggi imam-imam mazhab iaitu Imam Syafi’i, Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Imam Abu Hanifah dan Imam Sufian al-Thawri. Imam al-Ghazzali menegur mereka yang hanya bersungguh-sungguh mempelajari ilmu fiqh kelima-lima Imam mazhab ini tanpa mengambil teladan sifat mereka yang zuhud dan menolak kemasyhuran dan pangkat. Imam al-Ghazzali menyebut di dalam Bab Ilmu di Ihya’ bahawa tujuan agama adalah untuk menghapuskan kejahatan.

Jelas, isi Bab Ilmu Ihya Ulum al-Din masih relevan hingga ke hari ini. Kita melihat ada di antara kita (termasuk diri sendiri) terlalu sibuk memperdebatkan hal-hal agama hingga lupa tentang ilmu akhirat, ilmu untuk mengenal Tuhan, malaikat, seksa kubur dan keburukan sikap takabbur, riya’ dan sebagainya. Ada di antara kita (termasuk diri sendiri) terlalu sibuk tentang ilmu-ilmu fardhu kifayah, belajar pelbagai ilmu pengetahuan, sains, astronomi, fizik, falsafah dan sebagainya yang memang penting untuk umat Islam tetapi terlupa untuk mempelajari ilmu fardhu ‘ain, ilmu mengenal Tuhan, malaikatnya, hari akhirat, keburukan banyak makan dan bercakap, dan tiada masa untuk duduk berzikir dan menangisi dosa-dosa kita. Dan, oleh kerana itulah Imam al-Ghazzali menulis Ihya’ Ulum al-Din, untuk membangkitkan kembali ilmu-ilmu agama yang sebenar yang semakin dipinggirkan di zamannya.

Wallahu a’lam.

Pada kali ini, saya ingin memperkenalkan buku tulisan Hujjah al-Islam Imam al-Ghazali yang bertajuk al-Qistas al-Mustaqim. Di tangan saya ada terjemahannya yang bertajuk The Just Balance yang diterjemahkan oleh D.P. Brewster pada tahun 1978 yang merupakan ahli akademik di University of Canterbury ketika itu.

Buku ini ditulis dalam bentuk polemik; dalam bentuk soalan dan jawapan. Buku ini ditulis untuk menjawab persoalan yang berkaitan tentang kepercayaan golongan Isma’ili, salah satu kelompok Shi’ah, terhadap imam-imam mereka yang diberi taraf maksum. Golongan ini juga dikenali sebagai Batiniyyah dan buku ini ditujukan khusus kepada salah satu kelompok di dalam golongan ini yang dikenali sebagai Ta’limiyyah. Di dalam golongan Isma’iliyah ini, terdapat satu kelompok fanatik yang dikenali sebagai “Hashshashin” yang membentuk perkataan Inggeris “assassin”.

Berbalik kepada buku tersebut, Imam al-Ghazali menggunakan kaedah soal jawab dalam menangani persoalan yang menyentuh tentang kepercayaan Ta’limiyyah. Imam al-Ghazali ingin menunjukkan bahawa manusia tidak memerlukan imam yang maksum kerana kewujudan Rasulullah dan Kitabullah sudah cukup untuk menjawab segala persoalan yang menimbulkan kontroversi.

Dalam buku ini, Imam al-Ghazali menerangkan kaedah penggunaan syllogisma dalam memahami bagaimana sesuatu ilmu itu diukur. Imam al-Ghazali juga menerangkan bagaimana kaedah ini disalahgunakan oleh golongan Isma’ili dan golongan lain contohnya Mujassimah.

Sebagai contoh, analogi yang digunakan oleh golongan Mujassimah:

Premis pertama: Setiap agen mempunyai tubuh.
Premis kedua: Pencipta (Tuhan) adalah agen.
Jadi Dia mempunyai tubuh.

Jadi, Imam al-Ghazali mengemukakan soalan, adakah anda golongan Mujassimah sudah menyelidik setiap agen pencipta mempunyai tubuh. Adakah anda hanya menyelidik agen pencipta seperti pembuat kasut, tukang jahit, tukang kayu dan lain-lain tetapi tidak menyelidik agen pencipta langit dan bumi? Golongan Mujassimah ini seperti segolongan manusia yang mengatakan semua haiwan berjalan dengan kaki setelah menyelidik kuda, unta, gajah, serangga dan burung, tetapi mereka tidak menyelidik ular dan cacing. Begitu juga Imam al-Ghazali menerangkan kesalahan golongan Mu’tazilah dan lain-lain dalam menggunakan kaedah syllogisma.

Kemudian, antara lain Imam Ghazali menerangkan kaedah dalam menilai sesuatu secara adil tanpa dipengaruhi prejudis dan hawa nafsu. Menurutnya, hendaklah kita menilai sesuatu itu berdasarkan sesuatu itu, bukan menilai berdasarkan siapa yang mengatakannya, apakah kita suka atau benci kepada siapa yang mengatakannya atau penggunaan kata-katanya yang kelihatan menarik, contohnya bahasa-bahasa akademik dan teknikal dan berbunga-bunga. Imam al-Ghazali berkata:

(Y)ou did not look at a saying for its own sake, but only look at its elegant construction or the good opinion you have of him who utters it. If its form is disagreeable to you, or the one who utters it is hateful in your estimation, you reject the saying, even though it may be true in itself. If, again, someone were were to say to you: “Say: There is no god but God, and Jesus is the Messenger of God,” you would be repelled by this and would reply: “This is a statement from the Christians. How could I say this?” You would not have the intelligence to know that in itself this statement is true and that the Christian is hateful not because of this statement, nor for others like it, but only because of two. The first of these that Muhammad is not the Messenger of God, and the second is that God is the third of three. All else that he says is true.

Imam Ghazali juga menerangkan bagaimana untuk memilih pendapat ‘ulama’ dalam masalah fiqh. Imam al-Ghazali menggunakan analogi pesakit dan doktor. Menurut beliau, pesakit tersebut hendaklah memilih mana-mana doktor yang difikirkan terbaik berdasarkan pemikiran yang waras dan penilaian yang sepatutnya. Menurut beliau lagi, adalah tidak waras bagi seorang pesakit yang telah diberi ubat oleh doktor yang bertauliah untuk mempersoalkan mengapa doktor-doktor lain berlainan pendapat sedangkan nyawanya di hujung tanduk. Imam al-Ghazali berkata:

If someone says to you: “I find it difficult to proceed with circumspection when questions arise in which there is neither yea nor nay, that is whether I should pray in the morning or not and whether I should pronounce the name of God with a loud voice, to such a man I should say: “Now, search within your soul, and consider which of the Imams you find most acceptable, and whose answer to these points carries most weight. If, for example, you were sick and there were many doctors in your town, you would choose one of them by an effort of appraisal and not by whim of a moment or because of your inclination. In matters of religion such an effort of appraisal suffices. Whatever is, in your opinion, most fitting, that follow. If the Imam is right, then you and he will have a double recompense; if not, then both of you will accrue a single recompense.

Seterusnya, Imam al-Ghazali berkata, dalam menilai sesuatu, kita menilai sesuatu berdasarkan apa yang boleh kita perolehi melalui penilaian kita. Menurut Imam al-Ghazali, manusia tidak dibebankan dengan beban yang tidak dapat dipikul, maka apabila kita telah menilai sesuatu dengan sebaik-baik penilaian, dan kita salah menilainya, maka kita tidak dibebankan oleh dosa. Imam al-Ghazali memberikan contoh, seorang musafir tidak disyaratkan untuk menghadap kiblat dengan sebenar-benarnya, tetapi berdasarkan penilaian terbaik musafir itu untuk menentukan arah kiblat berpandukan gunung, bintang dan matahari. Begitu juga Imam al-Ghazali berkata seseorang itu disyaratkan untuk memberi zakat kepada mereka yang dinilai sebagai orang miskin kerana pemberi zakat tidak boleh menyelami hati manusia. Dengan ini, Imam al-Ghazali menolak kepercayaan golongan Ta’limiyyah yang meletakkan imam-imam mereka pada taraf maksum.

Sebenarnya, banyak lagi perkara yang dibincangkan oleh Imam al-Ghazali. Melalui buku ini, boleh dilihat Imam al-Ghazali mempunyai kebolehan mantiq yang tinggi. Ini menunjukkan Imam al-Ghazali telah menguasai bidang falsafah dengan baik, termasuk falsafah Aristotle.

Cuba kita bandingkan kebolehan mantiq yang tinggi yang dipunyai oleh Imam al-Shafi’i dalam menghasilkan kitabnya al-Risalah dan al-Umm. Jelas bahawa kebolehan untuk menggunakan akal yang betul berdasarkan cahaya Sunnah dan Kitabullah amat penting untuk menjadi seorang Muslim yang bebas dari dibebankan oleh kontroversi-kontroversi yang mengganggu kehidupan. Bacalah buku ini. Buku ini elok dibaca dengan sebuah lagi kitab Imam al-Ghazali yang bertajuk Munqidh Min al-Dhalal.

Kredit Gambar: Jahabersa

Beberapa Petikan Dari Buku Ini:

A) Pengurniaan

Kepada semua wanita Muslimah yang menyahut seruan untuk mentaati segala perintah Allah SWT, menjauhkan segala laranganNya semata-mata mendapatkan kelebihanNya, kerahmatanNya, keampunanNya, kebaikanNya, kemaafanNya, dan syurgaNya.

Untuk Muslimah yang mengucapkan, “Selamat tinggallah kepada percampuran dengan lelaki ajnabi dan berhias-hias diri di hadapan khalayak. Nikmatnya berpakaian hijab, menjaga kehormatan dan sentiasa berasa malu.”

Selamat tinggallah kepada pakaian menjolok mata yang separuh telanjang, pakaian sempit lagi nipis. Nikmatnya berpakaian yang labuh dan berperhiasan Islamik.

Selamat tinggallah wahai orang yang mengajak kepada pembebasan wanita dan percampuran dengan lelaki ajnabi, mengajak kepada keburukan dan kerosakan kerana mereka tidak menginginkan kita melainkan hanya kesesatan, menyeleweng daripada usaha yang bersungguh-sungguh, menderhaka terhadap pengajaran Tuhan kita dan segala taujihat Nabi kita.

Mereka tidak menginginkan kita melainkan hanya sukakan melihat badan-badan yang telanjang, tempat-tempat fitnah yang mendorong kepada syahwat dan perlakuan dusta yang dibuat-buat.

Dan akhirnya, kepada wanita yang berkata, “Aku tidak akan mengorbankan kehidupanku, kebahagiaanku yang abadi dan harta bendaku dari Allah SWT pada hari kiamat dengan sesuatu harta benda dunia, hasil pendapatan yang terhad, hidup glamour yang palsu dengan kehidupan yang penuh kebebasan.”

Di manakah nilai kebahagian sekiranya akhirnya akan mendapat kebinasaan, kehinaan dan balasan azab antara timbunan nyalaan api.

Untuk semua mereka yang menghulurkan risalah ini kepada seseorang wanita semoga Allah SWT akan memanfaatkan perbuatannya dan memberikan hadiah pahala kepadaku kerana menyediakan risalah ini.

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Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih lahir pada 835 H/1431 M dan wafat pada 886 H/1481 M. Beliau telah memerintah Konstantinopel selama tiga puluh satu tahun bermula pada tahun 856 H. Beliau seorang yang amat minat kepada ilmu pengetahuan dan amat menghormati ‘alim ‘ulama’. Kecintaannya kepada ilmu pengetahuan terbukti apabila beliau telah mengarahkan ‘ulama’ untuk menyusun ilmu falsafah. Beliau juga mempunyai hubungan yang erat dengan ahli sufi. (Rujuk Hadiqah al-Azhar karya Syeikh Ahmad al-Fatani). Kemenangan beliau menakluki kota Konstantinopel telah diramalkan oleh Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. dalam hadithnya yang bermaksud:

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Petikan dari bab terakhir buku ini:

1. Sebagai penjelasan dalam permasalahan ini, kami ingin menambahkan keterangan untuk lebih memperjelas, iaitu sebagai berikut:

Yang dinamakan bermadzhab adalah seorang awam atau orang yang belum mencapai tingkat melakukan ijtihad, yang taqlid kepada seorang mujtahid (imam madzhab), baik kepada seorang mujtahid beserta madzhabnya atau berpindah ke imam mujtahid yang lain.

Penafsiran terhadap dua kalimat di atas, merupakan penafsiran yang sesuai menurut lughah (bahasa) dan istilah, serta cukup difahami oleh masyarakat. Sama halnya dengan orang yang selalu mengikuti organisasi atau parti, baik mengikutinya secara tetap pada satu organisasi (parti) ke organisasi (parti) lain. Pengikut organisasi tadi disebut orang organisasi atau orang parti. Demikian pula halnya dengan orang yang tidak mengikuti organisasi atau parti apapun, ia disebut orang yang bebas organisasi atau bebas parti.

Hanya saja, Syeikh Nashr Al-Albani menyatakan bahawa kata-kata bermadzhab sebagaimana diuraikan di atas, tidak sesuai dengan apa yang difahami oleh setiap muslim sekarang ini.

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Bab 10: Diskusi Dengan Golongan Bebas Madzhab (Anti Madzhab)

Fasal ini sangat penting bila dibandingkan dengan fasal lain dalam risalah kami kerana bukan saja mengandung huraian-huraian ilmiah yang baru. Dalam fasal ini pembaca akan melihat bentuk fanatik berlebihan yang tidak akan ditemui pada diri mereka yang masih mempunyai akal sihat.

Mereka, para anti madzhab, menuduh bahawa golongan pengikut madzhab adalah fanatik kerana tidak mahu beranjak dari perkara hak yang berdasarkan ribuan dalil. Akan tetapi, mereka sendiri sebenarnya terkurung dalam sangkar kefanatikan yang justeru membuat mereka seperti kehilangan akal sihatnya.

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